an evening of many
i. yesterday, i returned home from work to a cowering puppy and a floor laden with ficus leaves. knowing his punishment, i firmly announced “in your crate,” and in he went, laying down with his snout in between his front paws, his “i’m sorry” pose. until yesterday, shaun’s run-ins with the tree were mere brushes against its branches with his nose. but i guess while i was gone, the tree must have uttered nasty words or made faces or poised itself for attack in order to provoke my normally well-behaved canine.
i really wasn’t angry. in fact, i was surprised the tree lasted as long as it did with a curious creature in the house. not to mention, he somehow pulled off a sizable branch without ever knocking over the planter. now, had i returned home to a pile of dirt on my floor, i wouldn’t have been so nonchalant.
besides, a slight concern did wash over me as to whether or not he consumed any of the leaves and whether or not there would be dietary and health-related consequences. however, his hyperactive tendencies later in the evening (as well as this morning) dispelled any initial alarm.
ii. about 15 minutes into puppy fun in the living room (of course i forgave him!) and a mere 7 or so minutes into the background noise of so, you think you can dance (i really have never seen the show. honest.), our power went out. not a flicker, but a “yeah, it’s going to take at least 30-45 minutes for ComEd to get its ass out here and fix the problem.”
so the hunt for candles and flashlights began, all while shaun followed me around with a slight whimper. i took him outside for a bit where two other dog owners had congregated outside the building with their companions. and naturally, shaun wanted to engage in playful antics, despite the neighborhood being plunged into darkness.
once the other people departed ways, i sat on the front stoop and truthfully felt uneasy in the darkness. and then my thoughts drifted ever so slightly to the devastation in the south and how their lives were overrun with darkness, both physically and mentally-speaking.
iii. my friend susan invited me out for an impromptu rock show for the band, the arcade fire, a sold out show at the riviera here in chicago. only having been introduced to the band a couple months ago and not having been to a rock show in ages, i agreed to accept her extra free ticket.
having no clue as to how big this band really was, i was surprised by the mass amounts of concert-goers at the venue. and then i realized quickly enough why i don’t go to big rock shows anymore. as my roommate has been quoted saying, “i love gatherings, but i hate people,” my tolerance for the moderate roughing up by passersby taller than me began to wane. quickly.
fortunately, susan was of the same mindset so we hung back at the back of the room for a bit, but then took up residence on some super low sunken in couches on the mezzanine level. ironically, this was the better of the views of the band because we could at least discern how many people were in the band based on the pairs of legs we could see. for those not familiar with the setup at the riv, there is some weird dome thing in this venue that prevents the mezzanine level from being an actual viewing point of the show.
at one point in the evening, neither of us knowing anything about the band other than their likeable, danceable tuneage, susan was quoted as saying, “it kinda sounds like there are a lot of them [on stage].” my best guess was 8 and honestly, i still don’t know even after mild research on them this morning.
all in all, they had a great sound live, but we ditched early to avoid the mass exodus that was sure to ensue before too long. our next stop, another impromptu rock show.
iv. during the arcade set, susan received a text message from a friend of hers touting information regarding half-price entry at schuba’s with the ticket stub from the arcade show. feeling the need to reintroduce myself to my spontaneous side from days gone by, i was game for more unplanned fun despite not knowing a lick about the band we were set to witness.
the robot ate me was the name of a one-person melange of electric guitar, an effects box of sorts, wispy vocals turned to political commentary turned to near violent outbursts, break-dancing and random crowd participation. fun at first, nearly pitiable towards the end. eh, i’m harsh because i was never into that performance art with hints of political and pseudo-intellectual flare.
quite an evening. and i was still home by midnight.